Syzygium fratris Craven

Craven, L. (2003) Blumea 48: 480. Type: Queensland, Mt Bartle Frere, 2 Dec. 2001, L.A. Craven et al.10421; Holo: BRI; Iso: A. BO, CANB, L, LAE, MEL, P.

Can grow into a small tree but also flowers and fruits as a shrub.

Leaf blades about 3.5-6.5 x 2-3 cm, apex drawn out into a tip about 0.6-1.2 cm long, petioles about 0.3-0.5 cm long. Lateral veins about 14-20 on each side of the midrib. Intramarginal vein about 1 mm from the margin of the leaf blade. Young freshly expanded twigs slightly winged and square in transverse section.

Inflorescences few-flowered, shorter than the leaves. Bracts persistent, present at anthesis. Flowers about 3-7 mm diam. Calyx tube (hypanthium) cup-shaped, about 2-5 mm long, gradually tapering into the pedicel, calyx lobes small, about 0.5 mm long. Petals +/- orbicular or ovate, about 1-2 mm diam. Stamens numerous, more than 30 per flower. Anthers wider than long with a large gland on the back of the each staminal, filaments about 1 mm long, clothed in papillose glands. Ovary usually 2-locular with 2 or 3 ovules per locule, ovules pendulous. Style about 2-3 mm long. Stigma small, terminal.

Fruits about 8 x 9 mm, apex truncate, central orifice about 5 mm diam. and 2 mm deep. Pericarp showing elongated fibres in longitudinal sections. Seeds about 6 mm diam., cotyledons irregular, separating easily from one another.

Usually 2 pairs of cataphylls (one small pair and one larger pair) produced before the first true leaves. First pair of true leaves ovate, midrib depressed o the upper surface. Oil dots visible to the naked eye. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade lanceolate to elliptic, apex acuminate, base cuneate, midrib depressed on the upper surface. Oil dots variable in size, usually 3 diameters or more apart. Stem +/- square in transverse section with pair of narrow wings running down the stem from the base of each petiole. Seed germination time 67 days.

Endemic to Queensland, occurs in NEQ, known only from collections made on Mt Bartle Frere. Altitudinal range not known, most collections made at about 1500 m. Grows in stunted, windswept mountain rain forest.